Is anyone else surprised that this is the last day of January?? Seems like the year just started. yet here we are with Groundhog Day just around the corner.

I will take a minute to brag. With a combination of indoor miles on the trainer and outdoor rides on the weekend, I have cranked out 376 miles this month! Plus who knows how many miles walked on the beach and walked (even ran!) on the treadmill. I am kicking the winter food binge smoothness and getting back to what I want to be, one bad assed cyclist! More on that to come.

But I digress, this is about this week, and damn I liked it, especially the last 3 days.

Tuesday morning I knew was going to be a good day, when I took off for the morning Starbuck run, the crescent moon was shining down on me.

I am still amazed how much more there is to see in our night sky. And how bright the moon can be. This also shows you a bit about the weather we have had. While a big chunk of the nation is in the polar vortex and dealing with 60 below zero wind chills. And a big chunk of of Oregon is fogged in and dealing with air stagnation, we have had this.

Blue sky, sunshine and warmth. I have been walking on the beach without a coat in JANUARY! Hell Michelle has been calling it Juneuary! Since it is winter the angle of the sun really brings out some excellent colors of the rocks as well.

So, Tuesday, which is normally a day I get pounded hard at work, was abnormally slow and not stressful. I was able to get off work at my ‘normal’ 3:30 quitting time. It was sunny and 60 outside. Michelle kicked me out and sent me on a beach walk. She reminded me to. “Go look for some floats!”

For those unfamiliar, The Lincoln City Tourist bureau, and there staff of Float Fairies, drop 50 handblown glass floats a day on the 7 miles of beach here in town. Each one is numbered and unique. When you find one, you can register the find and you get the story of the artist. People come from miles just to search for them. On a very rainy day last March I stumbled on the only one I had ever found.

My theory has always been that the nicer the day, the more the people and less chance there is to find one. But hell, it is worth the look! I went to Roads end on the North end of town and started walking north. About 10 minutes into the walk…

OH HELL YEAH!!! There it was just sitting there next to a big drift wood log half buried in some wood debris. Right place at the right time! Plus its much bigger than the first

Won’t lie I was very excited!

But ladies a gents a word of caution. I can’t tell you how many times I have walked the beach and looked for these. With only 2 floats found. The looking for the floats is fun, but do NOT ignore the beach and the ocean. Never once have I been disappointed by not finding one. And I sure as hell did NOT stop walking when I found it.

This is why I walk the beach. Tuesday evening was beyond memorable!

I walked as far as I could north then took my time coming back south toward the car. Stopping time and time again to watch the colors, and waves and just feel the wind. On days like this I just can’t help but realized how lucky we are. Never did I think we could be here until we retired. Now what you see above is my back yard! Yep, work can suck, but it gets me this, so it is well worth it!

But, I want to show one more Tuesday thing! A little science lesson.

Tuesday was the perfect day!

Wednesday dawned, and truly I expected work hell to hit! You can’t have 2 easy days….

I was wrong. Plus the weather was even nicer!

Along about 230 I couldn’t take it anymore, it was too nice to be cooped out. A quick email to the boss and I was off to the beach again! No floats this time! But, even better, when I got out to those rocks in the picture above I spotted yet another starfish!

Any day I spot one of these I am a happy man!

This time was a bit shorted walk, then I took Michelle to Fathoms for dinner and watch the sundown.

When we are out, I do my best fo focus on her and not phones or photos. We see couples around us not talking and lost in the phone world and it makes a bit sad. We never want to be those people. However, she also knows I love photos and there are just times one needs to be taken! When I looked down and saw a fellow cyclist on the beach, it was one of those times!

I have yet to be able to talk to this guy in person, but he is Mortsnap on Instagram, he fat bikes all over the beaches around here!

It was an excellent meal and very pretty sunset, a perfect way to end an excellent day!

Today was still nice, in fact, heading for Starbucks today, the moon was right next to the Morningstar (Venus)

I was hearing from people far and wide today, including my mom, who said they noticed the same thing at their house this morning! Again science geek here, I LOVE this stuff!

The rest of the day was busy, but when it starts like this how can it be bad, No beach, but Michelle and I walked the neighborhood and worked out together, and she made a killer dinner!

tomorrow the rains come back, and who knows, I might be slammed at work! But its Friday, and a bad day working in my house in Lincoln City is better than a good day stuck in a cubicle in Seattle any day!

I had no idea about the Float Fairies in Lincoln City! What a great idea to promote their beaches! I can’t help but wonder, though, what is the environmental downside if the floats aren’t found? Can a whale swallow them, for example?

And two more things: 1) Are the floats dropped just on the sand or are they distributed in the water? and 2) If they are distributed in the water, I wonder if anyone has considered putting a GPS tracker in them to see where all they float.

Excellent question! I hadnt thought of that. According to the city, with all the people searching, rarely, if ever, is one not found. This is also why they hide well above high tide. But now I am curious!